make known, except to their respective Governments, that which passed there every day, because if it appeared in newspapers, or became published in any form, so many people would then take part in the negotiations that we should never come to an end; and that might be called secret diplomacy, because certainly the public were not admitted to the discussions of men who held a great variety of opinions, and had very different interests to conciliate; and I think that the admission of the public then would have prevented any final settlement. But there was nothing that passed at the Congress that was not recorded in protocols at the time, and subsequently laid before Parliament.
'… I believe that there are, besides the ordinary despatches which pass between the Secretary of State and Ministers abroad, other despatches upon important subjects, marked "Secret and Confidential"?—Yes.
'And these are independent of that private correspondence to which you have referred?—Yes, entirely, and remain in the office.
'Is it your opinion that, in case of information being required by Parliament as to the policy which in any particular case is pursued by the Government, that the publication of the dispatches in the usual manner does give sufficiently satisfactory information to the public as to what is going on?—No doubt of it. I think from all I have known of Blue Books, with the publication of which I have been concerned, and others which I have read, that they give a complete and honest view of the transactions to which they refer.
'Are despatches marked "secret and confidential" generally not intended to be published?—No; not those that are received at the Foreign Office.
'Is not that security enough for a foreign Government, and a reason why they should not be unwilling to communicate information, when it is said that they are "secret and confidential"?—Yes, certainly it would be security enough: but then there are other matters sent home in despatches which are not marked "secret and confidential", which they nevertheless dislike the publication of.
'But the fact of "secret and confidential" being marked
